Basic Wireless Network Installation

In this tutorial we will show you how to set up a basic wireless network for your home or small business network. This article is not applicable to larger networks of 5 or more workstations. For larger networks we advise that you call us (www.gravit8.co.za) for assistance in setting up and maintaining your network.


Prerequisites for this tutorial

In this explanation we will be using D-Link products as an example. However if you understand the principals of the steps below you should be able to apply it to products from other manufacturers. The client configuration section assumes that you are running Windows 2000 or XP on your client computers

You should also have a basic understanding of computer networking to understand this setup process.

To install the wireless network you will need to purchase the hardware mentioned below as well as follow the installation steps explained in numbers 1 through to 16.

For a wireless network you need a few pieces of computer hardware that will allow you to send data to other computers on a wireless network.

  • You will require a network access point (figure 1)
  • You will need one network cable (figure 2) to connect to your Internet router or server\computer acting as an internet gateway.
  • Finally you would require all your client computers to have a wireless network adapter. For desktop computers this would be in the form of a wireless network card (figure 3) or a laptop\notebook with a wireless connection.

Please consult your laptop\notebook supplier to find out if it has wireless capabilities. A sign that your laptop or notebook has wireless capabilities is shown by the WiFi symbol (figure 4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you have all that you need we will look at how to connect all the hardware so that you can start using your wireless network. We will also give you some tips on how to secure your network, to stop network intruders from connecting to your wireless network and using your internet bandwidth.

 

Connecting to your Wireless Access Point (Figure 1)

  1. Connect the access point to your PC’s Ethernet connection.
    1. Make sure your LAN IP is set to an IP in the range of your Access Point’s IP address for this example we will use ‘192.168.0.45’. Check your wireless access point user manual to find its default IP address.
  2. Go to your Internet Browser and type the IP address of you wireless access point in your address bar. In this example it is \\192.168.0.50.
  3. A log in menu will appear
    1. Enter the username as ‘admin’
    2. Password is blank i.e. no password

 

Some Access points use different combinations of default usernames and passwords. Again check your user manual to find your particular combination and enter it now.

 

Setting Network up

  1. On the left-hand side you’ll see a ‘Wireless’ tab, click on this
  2. Set the following
    1. SSID - <this will be what you want your network to be called>
    2. Select a channel. Depending on the wireless networks around you, some channels may be saturated causing slow speeds. The best way to find an ‘open channel’ will be trial and error.
    3. DO NOT broadcast your SSID. By doing this, people will not actually see your wireless network under the ‘View all wireless networks’ option in windows. In this way you will immediately make your wireless network more secure.
    4. Apply these settings and wait for the wireless access point to restart
  3. Log in again

 

Security

  1. On the top menu click on ‘Advanced’
  2. Click ‘Encryption’ on the left menu
    1. Go down to the bottom and enable WEP encryption
    2. Select which key you wish to use, and supply a code/password for it
    3. Apply these settings and wait for the wireless access point to restart
  3. On the top menu click on ‘Admin’
  4. Supply a new password for your access point. This is an important step. Leaving your access point with the default username and password will leave it vulnerable to be reconfigured by an ‘intruder’.
    1. Passwords should be AT LEAST 6 characters long. Try mixing upper and lower caps together will numbers and symbols.
    2. Apply these settings and wait for the wireless access point to restart

 

Setting IP addresses up

  1. When logging back into the wireless access point, use the password you just created in step 9 and 10
  2. On the top menu click ‘Home’
  3. Click ‘LAN’
    1. Select a static IP for your wireless access point. This might be done to make your wireless access point available to your currently configured network.
    2. Enter the Subnet (normally 255.255.255.0)
    3. Enter the Gateway’s IP address. This is usually the main computer\server on your network or the computer\server that is connected to the internet.
    4. Apply these settings and wait for the wireless access point to restart

 

Client Configuration on the wireless network

  1. Unplug the wireless access point from your PC and plug it into the computer\server or a switch\router.
  2. On one of the client computers that has a wireless connection (figure 3 and 4), setup a new wireless connection on your pc (This has to be done once for everyone who connects to the network). You can do this from the ‘Wireless Network Setup’ icon in Control Panel.
    1. Enter your SSID (step 5)
    2. Manually assign a network key
      • Enter your key (step 7)
        • You may need to say which key it is you are using

 

That’s it!

Well that’s about all the advice we have for you at the moment. Should you wish to find out more, about any of the above-mentioned topics or more about our company. Please do not hesitate to contact us by following the appropriate links.